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heabooknerd's review
4.0
I blinked and DECK OF SHADOWS was done, it was such a fast paced read! The story picks up immediately after book 1 and follows Ella as she tries to reconcile her new powers and status among the Syndicates. Of course her men, Merlin, Brom, and Romulus, are by her side every second and I loved how devoted this group was to each other. A lot of things happens and it all happens very quickly -- no drawn out fight sequences or long winded villain speeches. The fights to protect Ella from the Syndicate leaders who want her dead are brutal, fast, and efficient. DECK OF SHADOWS ends on another cliffhanger and I'm curious to see how this will all get resolved.
Content Warning: abusive parent; references to the death of a parent in a fire
Content Warning: abusive parent; references to the death of a parent in a fire
bunnerz's review
3.0
Unfortunately once we meandered off the Cinderella theme in the first book, the story unraveled and became rather chaotic. The harem was quite busy from
I was not totally convinced at the reasoning behind completely rewriting syndicate society just because of a vendetta by a few that believed that the phoenix power would lead to the destruction of the world. A little too much happened in too little time to make it engaging and believable.
I also don't think there were enough explanations for how each syndicate society worked and their rules. What are the different types of magic? What are the different levels of power between someone that inherits a legacy and someone that hasn't? Is a vampire just a regular person with fangs that can drink blood sometimes? What does being the leader of each syndicate even mean? And is this a country-wide syndicate society or just locally in NYC? Shouldn't more cities be concerned about a phoenix threat that would "consume the world" other than whoever is just there locally in New York?
Lastly, there were also a few scenes that seemed to be just gratuitous violence (e.g. how Brom takes over his throne), which I'm not a big fan of.
The book ended on a cliffhanger, and I'm still intrigued by where the story is going to continue with the next book in the series.
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Ratings - completed series:
#1 House of Secrets: ★★★★☆
#2 Deck of Shadows (this book): ★★★☆☆
#3 Throne of Embers: ★★★☆☆
Spoiler
taking over the Bediver estate now that our FMC Ella claimed her family legacy/power, overthrowing their fathers to inherit the syndicates' power, figuring out how to control Ella's phoenix powers, and dodging assassin teams trying to stubbornly kill Ella.I was not totally convinced at the reasoning behind completely rewriting syndicate society just because of a vendetta by a few that believed that the phoenix power would lead to the destruction of the world. A little too much happened in too little time to make it engaging and believable.
I also don't think there were enough explanations for how each syndicate society worked and their rules. What are the different types of magic? What are the different levels of power between someone that inherits a legacy and someone that hasn't? Is a vampire just a regular person with fangs that can drink blood sometimes? What does being the leader of each syndicate even mean? And is this a country-wide syndicate society or just locally in NYC? Shouldn't more cities be concerned about a phoenix threat that would "consume the world" other than whoever is just there locally in New York?
Lastly, there were also a few scenes that seemed to be just gratuitous violence (e.g. how Brom takes over his throne), which I'm not a big fan of.
The book ended on a cliffhanger, and I'm still intrigued by where the story is going to continue with the next book in the series.
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Ratings - completed series:
#1 House of Secrets: ★★★★☆
#2 Deck of Shadows (this book): ★★★☆☆
#3 Throne of Embers: ★★★☆☆
ivets's review
4.0
***SPOILERS***
Eleanora is a Phoenix and once she lets her power go, it is out of her control. Unleashing her fire is how she escapes the boat she was trapped on. Even when she saw Merlin coming to her rescue, her Phoenix wanted to burn him and the entire world to the ground. It has become clear that she inherited her father's legacy and now she's back in her family home. Her step mother and step sisters having been thrown out. As part of the tradition of claiming her legacy, she has to welcome the syndicates into her home. During the party her men (heir to the three other syndicates' legacy) devote themselves to her for all to see. Brom realizes he needs to claim his legacy and so he kills his father and his father's guards. Merlin's father wages an attack of Warlocks on Eleanora's home where her and her men are staying. She lets her Phoenix power go and burns not just their enemies to the ground. Romulus gets burned in his attempt to get her to regain control of her power and they seek shelter at his home. There they decide to get Eleanora to the world of Tir Na Nog where they believe her mother to be alive and in hiding. They are hoping her mother can help her control her powers. The book ends with her getting on the plan but we are not sure whether her men also made it on with her.
Eleanora is a Phoenix and once she lets her power go, it is out of her control. Unleashing her fire is how she escapes the boat she was trapped on. Even when she saw Merlin coming to her rescue, her Phoenix wanted to burn him and the entire world to the ground. It has become clear that she inherited her father's legacy and now she's back in her family home. Her step mother and step sisters having been thrown out. As part of the tradition of claiming her legacy, she has to welcome the syndicates into her home. During the party her men (heir to the three other syndicates' legacy) devote themselves to her for all to see. Brom realizes he needs to claim his legacy and so he kills his father and his father's guards. Merlin's father wages an attack of Warlocks on Eleanora's home where her and her men are staying. She lets her Phoenix power go and burns not just their enemies to the ground. Romulus gets burned in his attempt to get her to regain control of her power and they seek shelter at his home. There they decide to get Eleanora to the world of Tir Na Nog where they believe her mother to be alive and in hiding. They are hoping her mother can help her control her powers. The book ends with her getting on the plan but we are not sure whether her men also made it on with her.
bookishrenee's review
5.0
Once again Marie Robinson has out done herself with Deck of Shadows. This contemporary, paranormal reverse harem is brilliant, emotional and everything you would want from this author and series.
The development of the characters, storyline, and well written interchangeable POV chapters will leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more and more.
There are definitely moments where you’ll need a breather as the storyline is intense and the heat level is high.
I highly recommend Deck of Shadows, and can’t wait to to read the next addition to Eleanora, Brom, Romulus and Merlin’s story.
The development of the characters, storyline, and well written interchangeable POV chapters will leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more and more.
There are definitely moments where you’ll need a breather as the storyline is intense and the heat level is high.
I highly recommend Deck of Shadows, and can’t wait to to read the next addition to Eleanora, Brom, Romulus and Merlin’s story.
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